Tax levy hike approved for wastewater treatment in Bloomington and Normal

BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL ( 25News Now ) - If you live in some of the most populated areas of McLean County, you could pay more for sewer and stormwater purification.

The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District's board has approved a $280,000 tax levy increase for infrastructure repairs to its wastewater system that serves the Twin Cities, Downs and a few rural communities.

Director Tim Ervin said the amount funded by taxpayers increased from $5.6 million to $5.9 million.

The amount charged to a homeowner depends on the property's value. If a homeowner's property values rise, taxpayers could see higher bills in 2024.

Ervin said the money will be used to increase capital funding for renovations. The 100-year-old wastewater treatment plant on West Oakland Avenue in Bloomington will undergo $39 million in repairs.

New changes to EPA standards are another reason for the levy increase.

"We can't take the entire plant down and modernize it. We have to modernize it in phases," Ervin said. "It's going to take until 2035 to bring all of our processes up to date."

He said the levy will also help the district continue paying for new lining in 20 miles of sewer. The lining would cost $9 million to $10 million.

"When you look at it, this is what happens with a sewer when it's been buried in the ground. You can see how it's deteriorated," said Ervin while showing a diagram of the project. "We actually put a material that lines the sewer that extends the life of the sewer."

Over the next 15 to 20 years, Ervin said the levy would cost taxpayers $300 million to $400 million.

Construction is going on now at the west plant, and lining could begin in two weeks on the district's east side.